


Runaway

by wellthatjusthappend



Series: Story Requests [39]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Happy Ending, Running Away, Self-Esteem Issues, Short, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24774082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wellthatjusthappend/pseuds/wellthatjusthappend
Summary: The thing about asking questions was that you had to live with the answers.For Tim, it started with a passing thought:If I disappeared, would anyone miss me?
Relationships: Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: Story Requests [39]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1373494
Comments: 21
Kudos: 351





	Runaway

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: _verse where Tim runs away from home and meets Jason in Crime Alley. Jason takes him in and provides for him as much as possible, he does anything to keep Tim safe. He accompanies Tim on his adventures to take pictures of Batman. He makes sure Tim has at the very least two meals a day. Tim likes having Jason as an older brother. For once in his life he feels loved and wanted. He wants to protect Jason so much._
> 
> Here there be angst.

The thing about asking questions was you had to live with the answers. 

For Tim, it started with a passing thought:  _ If I disappeared, would anyone miss me? _

Ridiculous, he told himself. His parents were very busy people, and sure they weren’t particularly demonstrative in their affection, but that didn’t mean they didn’t love him. He was being needy and dramatic, the way kids were on TV. Tim was more mature than that, he didn’t need to go whining to anyone about not getting enough attention. 

But the question lingered all the same, until one day Tim finally decided to test it out. 

He packed his bag with the essentials, carefully portioned out several meals from the leftovers in the fridge, and crawled out his window into the night. It was summer, so there would be no school ringing his parents to tattle on his attendance, it would be up to them to notice. They were very busy people, so Tim decided to give them 3 days to notice that he was gone. 

Perhaps it was cruel, but Tim had to know.

He settled himself under a bridge where there was a small cove carved out where the beams met the bank. Too small most of the homeless population to utilize, but perfect for a child his size. He’d found the spot when he’d been taking pictures of Batman and Robin on the river, and he was grateful for it now. 

He was closer to Crime Alley than any sane person would probably choose, but the knowledge that he could probably find Batman somewhere near if anything  _ did _ go wrong made him feel safer than just about anywhere in the city. 

The first day passed without event. Tim brought things to do and he spent much of the day dozing lightly and watching the ships pass by his hidden spot. The second day boredom started to set in and Tim emerged for a bit to skip rocks and float paper boats on the water. He was restless, but he didn’t want to leave his spot in case someone came and stole his stuff. 

What the heck was he doing? So his parents might ignore him, but he still had a roof over his head and access to all sorts of things through his parents' wealth. He could do pretty much whatever he wanted, why was he jeopardizing all that by pulling such a rebellious stunt. 

His mother would be so disappointed with him, and Tim could feel his anxiety start to bubble up at the thought. 

On the third day, he met Jason. 

Tim had been running out of food a little earlier than he’d expected, and he decided to risk leaving his spot to buy some snacks. When he came back, he found the older boy sitting outside his spot, smoking a cigarette, several other boys knocked out cold on the banks. 

Tim thought about bolting, but the the other boy didn’t  _ look _ like he meant Tim any harm, so approached cautiously. 

“So you’re the runaway,” the boy said lazily, “You should be more careful flashing your money and toys around here. It’ll get you into trouble fast.”

“Were… these guys were going to steal from me?” Tim said uncertainly, edging around the bodies. 

“Or kidnap you,” the other boy said with a careless shrug, “if there wasn’t a reward from your rich parents out, then they would probably make a good buck on you in the black market. You’re certainly pretty enough.”

“Oh, well, thanks for saving me, I guess,” Tim said, carefully edging around the boy to check his stuff. Nothing had been stolen, though the boy had had ample opportunity to do so. 

“My name’s Jason,” the boy volunteered suddenly, “This part of town can be real dangerous for a kid like you. I won’t ask why you ran away, but if you ever need help, you should be able to find me somewhere around Crime Alley.”

“Thank you, Jason,” Tim said, promising himself that he’d never take him up on that. 

Jason nodded to himself, and put his cigarette out and wandered off without a backward glance. 

Tim didn’t feel like lingering in his spot waiting for the unconscious men to wake up, so he packed up his remaining belogings and headed back into town. It’d been long enough anyway, it was time to go home.

Tim slipped through his window and set his bag down. He breathed out a long sigh, releasing tension he didn’t even know he’d been holding. He knew he was safe here, and that perhaps was something he’d never quite appreciated before. 

But more importantly…

His room looked completely undisturbed, just the way he left it. Tim wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. 

Feeling uneasy, Tim crept downstairs where he could hear his parents moving about. 

“Mom?” he called.

“Not now Tim, can’t you see I’m busy?” his mother covered the mouthpiece to the phone and gave him an annoyed look.

“I-” Tim felt like he was shrinking in on himself, all the while something big and horrible was swelling in his chest.

“Tim, you’re filthy, what have you been rolling around in,” his mother wrinkled her nose, “never mind, go wash up immediately before you track dirt all over the house.”

“Yes, Mom,” Tim mumbled and hurried away.

He found his dad packing a suitcase, and mumbling things under his breath.

“You’re leaving?” Tim blurted.

“Oh yes,” his father said happily, “Your mother found the most wonderful opportunity for us in Suriname. We’ll have to tell you more about it when we get back, but it looks really promising.”

No mention of Tim’s absence was mentioned. It was clear he hadn’t noticed either. 

“Don’t worry, kiddo, it’ll only be a few weeks this time,” his father patted his shoulder, “And we’ll have Mrs. Mac come watch you again. You like her, right?”

They hadn’t noticed when he was gone, and they were planning on leaving him again.

“Yes, Dad,” he mumbled, and went up stairs as quickly as he could. 

Tim went through the motions of cleaning himself up as his mother had asked, all the while feeling sick to his stomach. 

Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to.

_ If I disappeared, would anyone miss me?  _ He’d wanted that fear to be refuted… he hadn’t actually thought it would be confirmed. But no one  _ had _ missed him. Had he done something wrong? Why didn’t his parents… did they even want him? It seemed like as it was, he was an unwanted distraction from the things that they really wanted to be doing.

Well Tim got his answer, for better or for worse, and now… he had to decide what to do with it. 

Before he knew it, he was repacking his bags, this time taking the important things like his poster of Halley’s Circus and his photos. He felt numb while he did it, but he couldn’t care. All he knew was that he couldn’t stay in that house any longer. 

Before he knew it, he was tracking down Jason’s squat in an old abandoned building in Crime Alley. 

“Well come in,” Jason said, hardly raising an eyebrow when he saw him.

Before Tim knew it, he was spilling everything to the older boy. They could be a huge mistake, he barely knew Jason, but he felt good and Tim knew he was never going to make it on his own on the streets without help. 

“You’re parents are a piece of work,” Jason whistled, though his eyes hard light to them, “not that I can talk, mine were a whole different brand of shitty before they kicked it.”

“I don’t mean to complain, I know it must sound silly to you- so many people have it so much worse than me-” Tim mumbled to the ground, shoulders coming up around his ears. 

“So? It’s not a competition,” Jason shrugged, “Look, kid, you’re what, 6?”

“10,” Tim mumbled.

“Right, but you’re a kid. And kids shouldn’t need to do anything special to deserve attention and all that shit from their parents,” Jason said firmly, “That’s not how that family stuff works. I can’t say that you won’t ever regret leaving them, especially all that money, but I can tell you that it’s always better with people who actually care about you.”

“Nobody’s going to want me,” Tim said hopelessly, “I’m weird and awkward, everyone says so. Maybe I’m just not meant for this stuff.”

“What “stuff”? Love? Happiness?” Jason snorted, “You’re human kiddo, everyone needs that “stuff”.”

“But what am I supposed to  _ do? _ ” 

“Be yourself,” Jason shrugged.

“What if that’s not good enough?” Tim asked. 

“It will be,” Jason promised, “You’ve already got me, don’t you?”

The words were like a shot of adrenaline. Or maybe terrified hope. 

“I do?”

“Yeah,” this time Jason looked a little rueful, “If you want. I can show you the ropes, make sure you’re getting food and all that. I know we don’t know each other all that well, but I like you good kid. You’re alright by me.”

“Really?” 

“Tim, you’re breaking my heart here,” Jason said with a pained laugh.

“Sorry,” Tim mumbled, looking back at the ground. He was too much, he knew he was too much-

“You’re fine, kiddo,” Jason ruffled his hair, “Sides, I always did want a little brother.”

Oh.  _ Oh. _

“I won’t let you down,” Tim promised.

“You and me, we’ll stick together, yeah?” Jason said, bumping shoulders with him. 

“Yeah,” Tim said shyly, trying not to cling. 

“And I’ll look out for ya, little bro, that’s a promise,” Jason said, “We’ll be each other’s family from now on.”

“Ok,” Tim said, a warm feeling spreading in his chest. 

Family. He thought he left that behind, but perhaps Jason could show him what that really means. 

**Author's Note:**

> These two are going to take good care of each other. If Bruce still picks up Jason, you can bet Tim is a packaged deal. 
> 
> If you've ever wanted to send a story request, feel free! Besides AO3, I'm on [Tumblr](https://wellthatjusthappend.tumblr.com/mywriting),[DA](https://www.deviantart.com/wellthatjusthappened), and Discord. Same username. 
> 
> If you want a continuation of a story you see here, you can always send another prompt. Not sure how to do so? Check my [FAQ](https://wellthatjusthappend.tumblr.com/faq).


End file.
